


The Hotel

by ArcticLucie



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Fluff, Kissing, Love, M/M, Memory Loss, Non-Linear Narrative, Plot Twists, Rickyl, Suicide, post-Alexandria
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-19
Updated: 2015-04-19
Packaged: 2018-03-24 20:01:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,381
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3782494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArcticLucie/pseuds/ArcticLucie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Daryl wakes up in a strange hotel room on the Atlantic Ocean and struggles to remember the events that led up to his arrival.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Hotel

**Author's Note:**

> This is a nonlinear story. There are a lot of flashbacks (in italics) that are not exactly in order, and it jumps back and forth between past and present tense. Not sure how well it worked out, but here it is anyway. Enjoy!
> 
> **Warning for multiple character deaths and implied and actual depictions of suicide, but nothing too graphic.**

Daryl wakes up with a start, gasping for air like he hadn't taken one in ages and moves to sit. The bed is soft, cozy, like he's sitting on a cloud, and he wonders where he is. He's certain he's never been in this room before, and he takes a moment to remember how he got there.

However, his thoughts prove scattered and fragmented.

He's alone in the room and there are no indications of anyone else he can see. He's not restrained in anyway, and a quick scan of his body reveal no outward injuries. It's possible he suffered some sort of head trauma, which could explain his lack of memory and the fuzzy feeling in his head, but he can't feel a bump and can't even remember where he is. He looks around to get his bearings and for possible clues.

The room seems bright and cheery with a few paintings of seashells on the wall, a big beige couch in the corner, and tropical plants, probably fake, littered throughout. The leaf-shaped ceiling fan above him cools the sweat accumulating on his skin, and he shivers as he throws back the sheets.

There is a dresser at the foot of the bed, it's sturdy dark-stained wood standing out on the light tan walls. His crossbow is sitting on top and he quickly rolls out of bed and onto the worn hardwood floor to grab it, his bare feet sticky on the humid surface.

He loads a bolt and slings the beast over his shoulder, the familiar motion and the weight of the strap pulled tight against his skin bring him a sentiment of comfort and a flash of a memory that he can't quite grasp. He opens the top drawer to find his leather vest and smiles as he puts it on like it's a second skin. Because it is.

He takes a moment to examine his reflection in the mirror on the dresser. He looks rested and he wonders how long he's been sleeping. But there is really no time for that, his people could be looking for him or in need of his help. His first thought is to find Rick and the kids and anyone else he can. He figures he'll start by clearing the rooms.

He walks over to what he assumes is a bathroom off the entryway. He listens for movement but there is nothing to be heard but a slight roar in the distance. After peering in, he finds the room empty and surprisingly spotless. He's fairly certain that he's in a hotel room if the tiny bottles of soaps are anything to go by.

He backs out and heads to the door that he thinks might lead to an adjoining suite. It does. There are two smaller beds in this one, a dresser that is similar to the one he found his vest in, and some more tropical art and fixtures strewn about, but it is otherwise empty with no sign of anyone or anything around.

Turning back into the room he woke up in, he looks over at the kingsize bed, sheets crisp and white cotton, fresh, and the pillows so fluffy he can still make out the indentation of his head in the center. White lace curtains are wafting in the breeze from an open door beside it and he slowly hauls the crossbow into position as he makes his way over.

The smell of salt and the sound of what could be a seagull are his next clues as to where he is, but did they get that far? There is another flash as his last memory of Alexandria comes into focus in his mind. 

~~~~  
_There was a commotion at the gate, someone screaming about a herd coming through. Him and Rick ran out to assess the situation but the walls started to give way as steady streams of walkers began to pour in all around them. There were just too many; they were being overrun._

_They had reinforced the walls against the walkers several times but were helpless to do anything but flee from the sheer number of them this time. Cries from people going down pierced his ears as he tried to block them out. His priority is, was, and has always been his people, to Rick and the children._

_They made it back to the house they were given and grabbed the bags they had packed in case things went south. Daryl took care of Judith while Rick and Carl helped clear a path through the herd._  
~~~~

Now at the door, he carefully slips between the flowing curtain, his bare feet making his steps so light even he couldn't hear them. He has to squint as the bright cyan ocean reflects the sun into his eyes. Blinking to clear the spots that had formed in his vision, he gets another flash, another memory. 

~~~~  
_They had met up at the designated spots they were assigned to head towards if something went wrong at the ASZ. They refused to have a repeat of what happened after the prison fell. It took three days for them to gather everyone together again. Not surprisingly, most of the residents of Alexandria were feared dead, but every single one of their people made it out._

_A few wanted to go back and try to salvage the town. They suggested waiting for the herd to pass and reconstruct the walls, but Rick wasn't so sure it was worth the risk, and Daryl backed him up just like always._

_It had been Michonne's idea to head to the coast. She wanted to find a boat and find an island to live on or try their luck at living off the sea for awhile. It might've been tough going at first, but they were used to having it rough. With no other plan, they finally agreed to give it a shot and started out for the Atlantic Ocean._  
~~~~

They obviously made it. He just wishes he could remember how or what happened once they got here.

"Mornin' sleepy head," Rick drawls.

His head snaps over to see their leader lounging in a chair with Judith curled up on his chest fast asleep, and every ounce of tension drains from his body as he makes his way over to them. He settles on his knees beside the lounge chair and places a gentle hand on Judith's back. His fingers lock with Rick's as the man leans over to kiss him tenderly.

"What happened?" Daryl whispers to him as they rest their foreheads together. A delightful warmth washes over him as he breathes in the familiar scent of his lover, and he instinctively knows everything is now as it should be.

"Don't know. Woke up in there to Judy fussin' and came out here. Got caught up in the view and sat down to wait for you," Rick replies.

"How long have ya been out here?" he asks.

The ex-lawman lets out a small huff of laughter, "Dunno."

"Where's Carl?"

"Not sure, but I think he's around here somewhere, probably at the pool. This place must have a pretty big one. Carol said to rest some more when she brought me this fussy little thing," Rick says, eyes twinkling with affection, "So I figured it's secure for the time being...Help me up," he smirks, holding out a hand.

Daryl takes Judith from his arms and cradles her close, nuzzling into her downey soft hair as he breathes her in as well. Rick is dressed like a beach bum and he has to laugh at the Hawaiian print shirt and khaki shorts.

"What?" Rick teasingly asks.

"Where'd ya get that getup, Tommy Bahama?" Daryl snorts.

"Found it in the drawer. It's kinda warm here so I changed before coming out. What? Ya don't like it?" he asks, furrowing his brow and playfully pouting his kissable lips.

"It's...different," he says biting back a laugh at the other man's expense.

"Come on, le's go find our people, and find out what the hell's goin' on. If I know them, we should start at the bar," Rick chuckles. He rolls his shoulders as he stretches and Daryl gets a flash of another memory. 

~~~~  
_Rick was bleeding as Daryl tried to inspect the wound on his shoulder, "It's just a scratch," he murmured, wiggling away, but Daryl wasn't buying it._

_"How the hell could you let this happen?!" Glenn was screaming, Maggie's limp body cradled in his arms, her legs pinned under rubble. He had tears rolling down his cheeks as he sobbed uncontrollably. "You did this, she's hurt bad because of you! She could die!! No, no, she can't die, she CAN'T!!"_

_"Weren't no one's fault!" Daryl snapped back. "How were we supposed ta know the building was gonna collapse?"_

_"Where's Carol?" Rick muttered, "...she, she had Judith...."_  
~~~~

"I think the bar is that way," Rick says, pointing down a paved walkway just outside the small courtyard leading off their suite.

"Ya think anyone's still in their room?" Daryl asks, following Rick's lead just like always.

"Le's find out," he says stopping in front of the door next to theirs. He knocks and Eric pops his head out of the white curtains.

"Hey guys," he smiles wide and inviting.

"Hey, we were just checking to see where everyone was and to make sure ya'll are safe," Rick tells him.

"I'm doing great," Eric replies. "Thought I rebroke my ankle when I fell when the herd came through, but it's fine now. It probably just needed the rest."

"Ya wanna head down to the bar with us?" Daryl asks.

"Not right now. I'm waiting for Aaron to get out of the shower," he answers as he smiles again, "But we'll probably see you down there."

"Sure thing," Rick says as they continue their journey to the bar. Rick places his hand on the small of his back and Daryl moves closer to his side with every step.

"This place is nice, huh? Guess we still got runnin' water...Bet you're happy about that. I know how much ya like your showers, Grimes," Daryl teases.

"Only when I got you to share 'em with, Darlin'," he smiles as he kisses Daryl's cheek.

"Just hope it's secure for awhile. I sure hate Judy havin' ta be out there on the run like that," Daryl continues as they pass another room.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"The last thing _I_ remember is you two bastards leavin' me behind!" Michonne barks out from the doorway she is leaning in. "And this whole thing was my fucking idea!"

"Yeah, but ya obviously beat us here," Rick points out.

"Guess I'm just lucky," she smiles wide, her bright white teeth almost as reflective as the ocean in the distance and Rick's pasty legs.

~~~~  
_"I can't hold on any more. I'm slowing ya'll down, ya gotta leave me," Michonne protested, as him and Rick carried her through a narrow, unlit corridor._

_They stopped for a split second to reposition her. Rick leaned against the wall as he took a few shaky breaths. His head fell back onto a painting of a sailboat, the blue scale stained red with his blood when he moved away. Daryl was momentarily transfixed by the smear. He drew that blood from him._

_"No! We're all gettin' outta here and everything'll be jus' fine," Daryl tried to assure her, holding back tears as he looked down at her mangled leg. It was his fault; his crossbow jammed at the last second and everything went wrong from there. He lost Sasha, and now he might lose Michonne._

_"Jus' help me up onto that balcony and go," she said after they got outside into the pitch black of night. "Maybe ya'll can circle back with more people...or when the herd goes by," she calmly suggested._

_They both wanted to argue but eventually gave in knowing that there was no other choice. They hoisted her onto the balcony and Daryl handed over his spare gun just in case. There were only a few bullets left, but it'd work in a pinch. Or to 'opt out' if need be, but he couldn't think about that now._

_The whole place was overrun. Leaving her was just about a death sentence, but Rick's wounds were making him weaker and weaker by the second. Daryl's heart twisted at the sight of the blood-soaked curls caked to Rick's head. If he didn't find a place for them to hole up, they were all going to die. He didn't want to admit it but Rick was just more important._  
~~~~

"How's the leg?" Rick asks for the both of them.

"Good as new," she smirks holding it out and wiggling it around. "This place has been a godsend!"

"Christ, how long were we out there? How long have ya'll been waitin' for us?" Daryl asks.

"Rick, Daryl!! When did you guys get here?" Glenn asks from behind them. They both whip around to see a bright-eyed Maggie being carried on his back as the couple meanders up to them.

"Last night, I guess," Rick answers. "Everything's kinda fuzzy."

"Yeah, I think this place has that effect on people. Isn't it beautiful, though?" Maggie asks.

"The view is amazing," Michonne agrees.

"We've been waiting for ya'll. We weren't quite sure when you'd show up, but the important thing is ya'll are here now. I'm so glad to have everyone together again," Maggie says, pulling her lips in tight as she holds back tears.

"I think we took the long way around," Rick jokes and they all laugh. They didn't have much time for laughing over the years and Daryl knows to cherish it, especially the beautiful siren song that parts from his lover's lips.

"Is everyone here?" Daryl asks.

"Yeah, I think you guys were the last to arrive. Guess you did take the long way around," Glenn chuckles.

"Where's Carl?"

"Him and Aaron came in with Abraham and his crew. Carol said her and Judith found their way here shortly after everything went down, then it was Maggie and me, then Michonne, then you two. Morgan's all that's left, so I guess we aren't all here yet...."

~~~~  
_"Rick, we gotta go!" Daryl pleaded._

_"I ain't leaving without Carl!!" Rick yelled._

_There were walkers closing in on them from every direction. They had to move or they were going to get blocked in and torn apart. "He's gone, baby! No one is alive under there! He's dead or gone. We have ta go," he yelled back. No point being quiet, their position was already compromised._

_"They have ta been in there! We can dig 'em out, we gotta, we, we gotta try!"_

_"Rick, I love ya and I'm sorry," Daryl whimpered as he hit him on the back of the head with his crossbow to knock him out. He flung him over his shoulder and carried him into a nearby conference. Michonne was slumped in a chair inside, her sword drawn, but her pant leg was drenched in blood._

_"We are fucked, Daryl," she groaned, "A beam crushed my leg. I can't walk."_

_"Fuck!" he cursed as he gently laid Rick on the closest table so he could barricade the door._  
~~~~

Daryl leans over and strokes Rick's hair above the spot he'd hit, "I'm sorry," he whispers as he kisses him, regret and remorse etching on his lips.

"It's alright, baby. Everythin' worked out. We're all here," he smiles, putting the hunter's conscience at peace and drawing him in closer with loving arms wrapping around him and Judith.

"'S this place secure?" Daryl asks the others.

"'Bout as secure as we'll ever be," Michonne sighs wistfully.

"Haven't seen any signs of walkers or anyone else since we got here," Maggie adds. "Just us, just our family, like it was meant to be."

"Hmmm," Rick hums contemplatively. "We were just headin' to the bar to look for everyone. Ya'll wanna join us?" he finally asks.

"We should all go. They're probably all there waiting for ya'll."

"Wait, is there alcohol?" he asks and Daryl can't help but kiss the cheeky grin on his face.

"I'll catch up," Michonne says as the others continue on.

"This place looks familiar," Daryl says more to himself than to Rick, but the man squeezes him even closer and kisses his bare shoulder.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Rick asks, repeating his question from earlier.

"Feels like I've been here before," he replies as a strong sense of déjà vu washes over him. He looks over at another room as they pass. The curtain wavers in the breeze coming off the water, and he stops mid-step as a flash of gold catches his eye and a familiar melody plays faint in his ear. "Did ya hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Thought I heard...Beth...she was singin' somethin'...," he says as he goes to peek in the room. "Hello?" he calls.

The main door is just shutting as he pushes through the curtain. He runs over to it and throws it open, but all he sees is an empty corridor extending in either direction. Then he notices a picture on the wall he swears he's seen before. It's a painting of a sailboat hanging directly in front of him only a red streak is missing from it.

"Are ya feelin' alright, Darlin'?" Rick asks from beside him. He runs a hand through Daryl's long hair before pulling him in for a hug, Daryl's chin falling to his shoulder as Judith snoozes in between them.

"I...I don't know. Maybe I got a head wound or something," he replies. "What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh, well, I remember getting to the hotel and trying to clear it with the group. Then the ceilin' collapsed and we were scattered as walkers rained down on us. I vaguely remember leavin' Michonne before we found that groundskeeper shack. But...I guess the last thing I remember is you holdin' me. That's the last thing I ever wanna remember." 

~~~~  
_"Daryl, baby, I don't feel so good," Rick mumbled as they hobbled along the pathway outside the hotel they had just found. They were going to clear it and spend the night before reassessing the plan the next morning. But he wasn't surprised that buildings were now starting to decay like the walkers and the rest of society._

_"You're losin' blood," Daryl said as they stopped to rest for a moment. They had to get out of the open. He needed to triage Rick's wounds before they got infected._

_He could just make out the sound of gurgling corpses growing louder as they descended on their location. Looking around, he saw the faint outline of little building in the distance. "Come on, baby," he muttered as he wrapped his arm around Rick's torso and pulled him along._

_After busting the lock, they went inside, closing the doors as a single gunshot rang out. They both looked at each other grimly, knowingly._ Michonne.

_He gently sat Rick down on some deflated beach tubes leaning against the wall and went to block the door. Once they were secure, he carefully pulled off Rick's shirt as he straddled his thighs. There was no way in hell he could've held back the tears when he saw the bite marks on his partner's shoulder._

_"See, jus' a scratch," Rick smiled tiredly._

_"Rick...," he sobbed as he hugged him tight, his face burrowing into the juncture of his good shoulder. "Ya can't leave me!" he pleaded, "Goddammit, ya can't!!"_

_"'S alr-alright, baby. Yer gon-gonna be fine," he rasped, tears trickling down his stubbly cheeks._

_"I can't do this without ya! I won't...," Daryl cried as he held onto his dying lover with his waning strength. Rick's was fading too, his hand slowly falling down Daryl's back as gravity started to win out._

_"I love you, but I'm jus'...so tired," Rick drawled, the proof of his statement evident in his voice._

_Daryl understood that. He was tired, too. They had all been through so much and Rick carried more of the burden than anyone should've ever had to, than anyone else ever could. He got them as far as he could, further than anyone else could have gotten them, but it was over now, all of it, for all of them. He deserved peace; they all did._

_"Everyone's gone, Rick. And it ain't yer fault, okay? Jus' bad luck, bad fuckin' world we live in now."_

_"I know...I-I tried...we, we had a good run, though...," he said, reaching for his Python on his hip._

_"No! No, I got it," Daryl said as he attempted to stop the tears clouding his vision. He took the gun from Rick's hand and leaned down to kiss his lips one last time. They were frigid now like ice, not the warmth he'd grown to know. "I love you," he sobbed as he cupped Rick's jaw, his thumb grazing over his cheekbone._

_"Love ya, too. Y-yer the love of my life and I'm s-sorry the world had ta fall ta s-shit be-before I found ya."_

_"Worth the wait," Daryl laughed through his tears. "Don't much believe in an afterlife, but if there is one, ya better be waitin' for me, Grimes," he managed to choke out._

_"Y'know I will," Rick smiled weakly. After a few more shallow breaths, his eyes turned cold as the light in them faded away._

_Daryl checked the gun for bullets. "Two left, how appropriate," he scoffed. He hesitantly put the gun to Rick's temple and winced as he pulled the trigger. The shot echoed in the small room and made his ears ring. Without a second thought, he put the muzzle in his mouth and pulled the trigger one more time._  
~~~~

"We're—" Daryl says in shock as he pulls back from Rick.

"Dead? Yeah, I was thinking that might've happened," Rick says back.

"But? So this is? Where the hell are we?"

"Don't think it's hell," he chuckles.

"Home," Beth says from behind them. "Now, come on! We got people who've been waitin' awhile ta see ya'll again," she says as reaches for Judith.

"Home is a hotel?" Daryl asks her as they follow her down the long hallway.

"Why not? It's got room service, a nice view, a stocked bar...no walkers," she smiles over her shoulder. "Most importantly, it's got your family."

Soon they reach the bar area near the back of the hotel. It is positioned in between two huge blue pools and several kids are frolicking in the water in one of them.

"Dad!" Carl calls out and everyone turns around to look at the two of them.

The next thing he knows, Carl and Sophia are climbing out of the pool to run up and give them both wet hugs. He doesn't even mind that they are getting chlorine and water all over his leather vest as he's too busy being overjoyed to see them again.

Daryl scans the bar and his heart seizes when he sees long lost but not forgotten eyes on them as their group sits around a few tables: T-Dog, Dale, and Tyreese among others. Over in the corner by himself, Merle sits with his back turned towards them nursing a beer.

"Who let ya in here, brother?" Daryl hollers to him.

"Ol' Sugar Tits said I could stay if I behave," Merle grumbles as he snatches up his bottle and makes his way towards the group.

"And if ya stopped callin' me that, Merle!" Andrea interjects from a stool next to her sister Amy.

"Sorry, Sweet Cheeks," he says, looking her up and down. "I ain't the only ones who promised ta be on their bes' behavior," Merle says motioning to the opposite pool from where the children were.

Lori and Shane have their feet in the water and look up at them. "Hey Rick, Daryl," Lori says, smiling softly.

"Hey," they both reply in unison. Shane looks at them guiltily and nods before looking back out into the ocean in the distance.

"Welcome home," Hershel smiles, redirecting their focus back to the tables.

"What were you saying, Sasha?" Rosita asks.

"I was sayin' that I was comin' to warn ya'll that a herd was comin' through, but Dare's crossbow jammed and I went down before I could," Sasha pouts as she sits on Bob's lap. "Ya'll might've gotten out before the building collapsed."

"No, we were doomed as soon as we stepped foot in that place," Abraham says.

"We were doomed as soon as Alexandria fell," Glenn adds.

"No, I think we were doomed when the dead starting eatin' people," Dale corrects them both.

"This is not what I was expectin' when I shot myself," Daryl whispers as he wraps his arms around Rick's neck.

"Ya shot yourself?" Rick chides him as his hands move from Daryl's hips to his lower back.

"I sure as shit wasn't gonna leave ya alone with all these whack jobs again," he counters before kissing him slowly.

They are interrupted when a familiar voice yells "Rick!" They turn to see Morgan walking up the path with an arm around his wife and son on either side of him. Behind them is Michonne with her son on her hip and Aaron and Eric following soon after.

"Guess we're all here now," Rick says as he turns back towards their people.

"At a strange hotel most of us happened to die in," Carol dryly states as she walks up behind them and gives Rick a pat on the shoulder and Daryl a kiss on the cheek. "Missed ya, Pookie," she teases.

"Nah, I think Beth and Hershel are right, it's jus' home," Daryl says, pulling Rick to him once again, "'Course it always was with you," he smirks.

"For all of us," Michonne mutters, pushing past them towards the tables.

"And now it always will be," Rick whispers on his lips right before he kisses him until he sees stars.

It's not the first time Daryl thinks that kissing Rick would be a pretty damn good way to spend eternity, but it is the first time he realizes that he gets to.

**Author's Note:**

> I left a lot of things vague for the memory loss concept and also to hold off on the 'everybody's dead' reveal for as long as possible. Kudos if you figured it out sooner! 
> 
> Also, I apologize to my awesome subscribers/readers for the lack of updates this week, even though it's probably my fault for spoiling ya'll. ;-) I had to temporarily throw myself into a blackhole for my sanity's sake, but we should be back to our regularly scheduled programming starting tomorrow.
> 
> And lastly, I just joined that tumblr thingy. Feel free to add my boring ass self at your own risk [here.](http://www.archlucie.tumblr.com)


End file.
